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"Just because you have been beaten by Wellington, you think he is a good general. I tell you that Wellington is a bad general, the English are bad troops and this affair is no more than eating breakfast."

—Napoleon Bonaparte to one of his marshals just before the Battle of Waterloo

"Months earlier, when Siétamo was taken, the general commanding the Government troops had said gaily: 'Tomorrow we'll have coffee in Huesca.' It turned out that he was mistaken. There had been bloody attacks, but the town did not fall, and 'Tomorrow we'll have coffee in Huesca' became a standing joke throughout the army. If I ever go back to Spain I shall make a point of having a cup of coffee in Huesca."

—George Orwell, Homage to Catalonia